1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the continuous separation of water during distillative purification or splitting-up of organic substances or mixtures of substances in a distillation column which contain water in a dissolved form, the organic substances or mixtures of substances having only limited capability of absorbing water and, with water boiling as azeotropes, or without the capability of forming azeotropes with water, boiling higher than water.
It is known that in the distillative splitting-up of mixtures of substances the presence of water involves considerable separation problems. This is particularly true if one of the components of the materials mixture is a solubilizer for water.
Such solubilizers for water are usually the products contained in the distillation feed and to be purified during distillative separation. Solubilizers for water, are for instance, methyl tert-butyl ether, methyl ethyl ketone and sec-butyl alcohol.